Family of 8 what to do?

[Cruise Mama]

HELP - we are booked on the 6/20 Pride of Aloha (repo). We are traveling with our 6 children (2-20). We would love to have some ideas - tips - "must do's" - for such a group.

 

We hope to include:

(what's best with a group like ours)

snorkling

Luau

surf/beach

waterfalls

lava

 

We're also open to anything we haven't thought of but you know we shouldn't miss.

I would appreciate any help/opinion with this.

 

The only experience we have with Hawaii is hubby worked on Haleakala for 7 months (we stayed stateside).

 

THANKS for your ideas!

 

Tammy

[Suebee]

Youve come to the right place!

 

Well, don't you have a good mix! I have little children and I can tell you that the Ko Olina Lagoons (beaches) are PERFECT for smaller children because they are protected coves and the waves and undertow are non-existant. The water is warm and shallow and it is nearly always sunny. I prefer them over Waikiki because of the lesser crowds and I can relax a little about the kids in the water.

 

For Lava, of course the only place to go is Volcanoes National Park. There is a small rainforest zoo (the only rainforest zoo in the USA) nearby the volcano that can be used as leverage to get good behavior at the Volcano for the small ones.

 

The Honolulu Zoo is adequate for a morning out. Parking gets tough after 10:30 or so because it is at Waikiki beach. But its great for when you need to kill a couple of hours in the a.m. with the little ones.

 

The Waikiki aquarium is very very small. It is well done and can be completely done in 45 minutes.

 

The Sea Life Park on Oahu is GREAT to see Dolphin, Sea Lion and Seal shows. There are opportunities to get in the water with them but that is for the older ones.

 

Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park is terrific for an outing...just a water park and nearby the Ko Olina Lagoons.

 

If you want SURF, go to the North Shore but watch the little ones.

 

Any of the top 3 Luaus here are great (Polynesian Cultural Center, Paradise Cove - which is at the Ko Olina Lagoons - and Germaines). Many prefer the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui.

 

Another fun outing for the kids is the Children's Discover Center in Honolulu. Not a cultural experience and not for the adults, but another chance to lets the kids out to play.

 

I can't help with snorkling because my kids arent there yet. But Hanauma Bay is well recommended. You can split the group and take some snorkling while the little ones go to Sea Life Park.

 

Some people love a hike up Diamond Head but the smaller ones might find the hike difficult. A set can go to the zoo while the rest do the hike in that instance.

 

As an afterthought, the Dole Plantation has a train ride and large maze to play in while the older set would enjoy the history and pineapple sampling.

 

The Royal Hawaiian Band plays for free every Friday from 12:15 to 1:15 on the grounds of Iolani Palace (kids cannot go into the Palace under 6) and they play again on Sunday at 2:00 at Kapiolani Park Bandstand. A nice picnic?

 

That's all off the top of my head...sorry its mostly Oahu. Thats where we are!

 

All of those places have web sites. A simple Google search will find them for you!

 

Have fun!

 

NCL Star 1/04

What's Next? Alaska 2005 - Ask me about an official CC group!

[TexasAlexus]

SUEBEE- I see you were on the Star in January, so I have a question for you. Now don't laugh, but how often did you see passengers wearing Hawaiian shirts etc. Did people were them daily or did they were them only on certain nights on the ship, such as a Hawaiian theme night. I feel really silly asking this question, but packing space for a family of five will be limited so I can't take anything extra that we may not wear. Thanks so much in advance if you can answer.

 

 6/9/04 Norwegian Wind to Hawaii

 1/17/03 Celebration

 

[Suebee]

Aloha shirts are 'resort casual' wear here. That means they are appropriate in nearly every setting...hey, even the newscasters wear them on air on fridays!

 

I saw people in Aloha shirts all the time. I saw people in them sometimes and I saw people in brand new pressed overalls (yep, we had 150 farmers on board that week!).

 

My husband wears an Aloha shirt instead of a polo or button down when we go out to dinner now. I have one myself I wear sometimes.

 

For our trip, we got matching shirts for the whole family and used them for the first day and for portrait night. We got many MANY comments from other passengers ("where did you get them? How cute! or You all look so nice")

 

During the day most people were in Tshirts, bathing suits etc. But you will not be uncomfortable at all in Aloha wear every night if you want....if youve got them, this is the place to use them! And the crazier the better!

 

Aloha

 

NCL Star 1/04

What's Next? Alaska 2005 - Ask me about an official CC group!

[spleen93]

OK, I have to cut in on that last comment, Suebee. There's a difference between the tourist aloha shirts and the REAL aloha shirts. The tourist ones tend to be obnoxiously loud.

 

Spleen

 

 until RSSC Navigator - Canada - 6/04

 

Carnival Conquest - W. Caribbean - 10/03, Celebrity Infinity - Alaska - 6/03, Ocean Princess - Alaska - 7/02

[Suebee]

True, true Spleen....but we are talking about being on vacation now arent we?

 

The business ones are beautiful and very expensive, actually!

 

NCL Star 1/04

What's Next? Alaska 2005 - Ask me about an official CC group!

[TexasAlexus]

Thanks so much for clearing that up for me. Now I can go shopping! Hawaiian shirts are actually big this year (at least in Texas)so it'll be easy to find some. Actually the stores are full of all kinds of things with Hawaiian prints. I'll try my best to find some that aren't too loud I kind of wondered though if what we consider to be a Hawaiian print would be close to authentic. I thought about saving some of my shopping until we get to Honolulu. Thanks for your help.

 

 6/9/04 Norwegian Wind to Hawaii

 1/17/03 Celebration

 

[spleen93]

My favorite aloha shirt brands are Kahala, Ono, and Reyn's. Kahala is actually sold in Texas so you may find it in a local shop. I have to admit, even though it's not a traditional Hawaiian aloha shirt, I've really grown to like Tommy Bahama's silk shirts lately as an aloha shirt substitute. As a whole though, I'm not much into the "large print" thing, preferring my shirts to be more subtle ... but that's probably a personal preference.

 

Just out of interest, you may wish to read this article in Hawaii Business magazine about the aloha shirt business (don't worry, it's really short) - article

 

Spleen

 

 until RSSC Navigator - Canada - 6/04

 

Carnival Conquest - W. Caribbean - 10/03, Celebrity Infinity - Alaska - 6/03, Ocean Princess - Alaska - 7/02

[Suebee]

So SPleen, you didnt get a Pro-Bowl one with all of the team logos all over it? eeew..it was nasty.

 

i like the subtle ones too.

Arent the Kahala brand ones with the real coconut buttons? Those are really nice but pricey.

 

NCL Star 1/04

What's Next? Alaska 2005 - Ask me about an official CC group!

[spleen93]

I believe that the coconut buttons are a feature of Kahala - I know mine have them.

 

Spleen

 

 until RSSC Navigator - Canada - 6/04

 

Carnival Conquest - W. Caribbean - 10/03, Celebrity Infinity - Alaska - 6/03, Ocean Princess - Alaska - 7/02

[TexasAlexus]

spleen93, Thanks for the websites. I think it would be so neat to have one of the shirts with coconut buttons. I have a better idea now what to look for. I've been reading the Hawaii board ever since I booked this cruise and I really appreciate all the helpful information from you and suebee. Thanks.

 

 6/9/04 Norwegian Wind to Hawaii

 1/17/03 Celebration

 

[spleen93]

Have a great time on the Wind! It's funny - the same exact day that you're boarding the Wind in Hawaii, I'll be boarding the Navigator in NYC.

 

Spleen

 

 until RSSC Navigator - Canada - 6/04

 

Carnival Conquest - W. Caribbean - 10/03, Celebrity Infinity - Alaska - 6/03, Ocean Princess - Alaska - 7/02

[TexasAlexus]

Yes it is funny. I noticed that too. I look forward to reading about your trip on the Navigator. We are considering sailing from New York next year as part of a family reunion. I hope you have a great cruise as well.

 

 6/9/04 Norwegian Wind to Hawaii

 1/17/03 Celebration